On Wednesday, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares held a press conference in Norfolk to discuss the success of Operation Ceasefire.  The operation was conducted in Danville, Martinsville, Richmond, Petersburg, Norfolk, Hampton, Newport News, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Roanoke, Emporia, Lynchburg, and Hopewell.

The operation was launched to prevent gun violence in 13 cities across the state. During the first year of the operation, 12 of the 13 cities saw a reduction in crime.

The operation has lead to over 10,000 illegal firearms have been recovered in the 13 cities. In 2023 there were 225 less violent crimes in the Operation Ceasefire cities.

There was a 17% decrease in homicides, a 10% decrease in rapes, and 3% fewer robberies in the first year of the program. 155 cases have been prosecuted with 106 convictions and 41 with pending trials.

Virginia Speaker of the House, Don Scott, also announced that the Virginia budget will include $22 million to continue to fund the operation over the next two years.